Out of The Hands of Deception
by DarkenedRosepetals
Summary: One unfortunate night, when Jo and Henry find themselves in the midst of fleeing robbers, the inevitable happens and Jo is left to pick up the pieces. Later, she quickly learns that things are not always as they seem. Nothing is truly clear about the past or the present, or in the case of her partner. -AUish.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Forever.

Henry was never one for social gatherings. He would rather spend his free time organizing his vast book collection, or figuring a way to unlock the secret of his immortality.

But he humored his colleagues and attended the Christmas party. It was different from being surrounded in a bar or at an art gallery. There was gift exchanging, something that was called "secret Santa," and embarrassing story telling.

He was able to witness some of his most reserved colleagues, laughing out loud and singing along to the goofy Christmas songs. It was nerve-racking and amusing at the same time.

Henry was startled from his thoughts by a familiar voice. "Are you going to stay in a corner the entire night?" Jo sauntered his direction with two glasses of wine. "Or are you going to join the rest of us and have some fun?"

He took the offered glass and smiled at the sassiness in her tone. "I'm enjoying myself just fine."

Jo raised a brow at him. "By staring at the rest of us like aliens from Mars?"

"I certainly was not!" He quickly retorted. "I was just watching Lucas make a fool of himself with that ridiculous reindeer hat."

"At least he's enjoying himself," She defended, taking a sip of wine. "Why don't you come eat something?"

Almost as if on cue his stomach began to growl. He hadn't eaten since lunch time. "I suppose I could."

Jo turned and headed for the refreshment table. He reluctantly followed behind her, deciding that eating some of the appetizers wouldn't hurt. After all drinking alcohol an empty stomach was never smart.

Henry was surprised at just how much food was crowded on the table. There was a little something for everyone. He felt ashamed to admit it, but he didn't know what to choose. So he followed his partner's lead and loaded his plate with different selections. By the time they were at the end of the table, he was sure his plate had a week's worth of calories.

"So why don't you like parties?" Jo remarked as they sat across from each other at the table. She took a bite out of a miniature cheeseburger. "Don't deny it, you're obviously uncomfortable."

He regarded his plate thoughtfully, before plucking away a chicken wing. How could he answer a question like that when he couldn't give a whole answer? Being alive for two centuries made holding conversations a little difficult. "Being surrounded by people for long periods of time makes me uncomfortable."

"Which is why you need to get out more often," She concluded firmly.

Henry grinned. "You're starting to sound like Abraham."

"Well he's right you know," she added. "Life is too short to be sulking in dark corners."

He pursed his lips at her statement. There were many moments in his life were he found himself hiding in dark corners trying to keep himself from losing his mind. He remained guarded from people to keep his secret. The only real lingering relationship he had left in the world was Abraham. Everyone else that he ever grew close to was gone. He thought of finding someone to settle down with, but how do you explain to someone that you don't age and you cannot die? Watch them grow old as you stay the same as the day you met. It was a lonely way of life.

"Henry?" He felt a hand touch his wrist. "Are you still with me?"

He blinked as he realized he was once again lost in thought. "My apologizes,"

Jo noticed that his accent became much more clipped when he strayed in thought. She'd never asked too much about what he was thinking. Usually he would give her vague responses that was often times too advanced for her to truly decipher. For someone who looked no more than thirty-six, he had the air of someone older and wiser.

"You know, I don't really like parties either," she admitted taking a long sip of wine. "But I still go to them. You know why?"

"Why?"

She smiled sadly. "Because it's better than sitting alone in my apartment being suffocated with my thoughts of work or how much I miss my husband."

Henry stilled at the hint of sadness in her voice. A softer tone replaced her normally sarcastic, and confident one. He knew that it was a sensitive topic for her, one that they tipped toed around. She was a strong woman, but even the strongest had weak points.

He decided to steer the conversation elsewhere. There was no use in turning the mood melancholy. "Tell me Jo, why aren't you drinking eggnog?"

Instantly, the sadness vanished from her eyes and her lip curled. "Because it's disgusting,"

"Really, I find it quite delightful actually," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Jo frowned deeply but continued with eating from her plate. She made a point in licking the sauce from her finger, which made something odd twist in his stomach. The action was pure instinct by someone enjoying their food, but it made his body tingle. He hadn't paid any real attention to her lips before, but now he couldn't take his attention away from them. Tonight they were a soft shade of red, one that was different from what she usually wore. He could imagine that they would taste sweet like the wine she drank.

To be matter of fact, he hadn't taken a real notice in her appearance, until now. She wore a cream-colored long sleeve sweater dress with a modest neck line that showed her delicate collar bones and hugged her subtle curves. Her hair was in loose curls, pinned to the side by a glittery hair brooch. Shimmery eyeshadow accented her rich eyes. She was especially beautiful.

"You're doing it again," Jo deadpanned.

Henry sighed and shook his head. "It must be the wine."

She eyed his glass and nodded. "Uh huh, sure."

They continued to eat in silence until both finished their food. Afterwards Jo offered to take their plates and return with dessert. He hadn't been picky in what he wanted, so he told her to surprise him. He sat alone at the table wondering why he was all of a sudden so easily lost in thought. Was he that distracted by her appearance? Could it be the way her hips swayed, as she walked past in her pumps? Or the way she gazed at him with such intensity? Such intensity that made him want to hold her close and kiss her senseless. He was sure he was imagining things, but as she came back with their dessert, he concluded that he wasn't.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are Jo?" He suddenly blurted.

Jo paused from slicing into her piece of chocolate cake. She seemed surprised by his confession, though she easily played it off and smirked. "You've told me that I was quite hot."

He cleared his throat. "Well that was an understatement. You are very beautiful."

She raised a brow, but said nothing further. Instead she returned to the slice of cake in front of her.

Henry noted that her shoulders were slightly tensed. He hadn't meant to make her uncomfortable, but as usual he managed to do a superb job. He wasn't good with flirting, since he hadn't done it in a great while. Although lately, when he was around her, he couldn't keep his train of thought for long or his mouth in check.

"You are a strange one Henry," she smiled gently."But sweet."

He felt once again like a babbling idiot. He knew that when she smiled like that, she was only being sympathetic to his oddness. He took a few bites of the cake that was before him and excused himself.

With his hands shoved in his pockets, he briskly walked away in the cold air of the night. He hadn't paid any attention to the clicking of heels or that his name was being called. He just wanted to get home, so he could distract himself in his downstairs labs. Distract himself from the reasonable amount of embarrassment that he just caused himself. He was grateful for the cold, since it chilled the tingling heat he felt in his body.

"Henry!" Jo came to stand in front him, holding his arms. Her cheeks were rosy from the chill of the air and her breath came in small pants. She had sprinted to catch up with him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I-"

"Don't lie to me," she warned, poking him in the chest.

He huffed and closed his eyes. "I realized that I should learn to keep my mouth shut more around you."

"We're partners," Jo reminded, tightening her grip on his arms, forcing him to open his eyes. "We tell each other things. So it's normal to get a little chatty at times. No harm in that."

He felt the weight of her reassurance hit him hard. He hardly told her anything at all. Just selective details that weren't all that important. He kept her at arm's length, which was as the days went by became harder and harder.

"Yes it is normal but-" He began but fell silent when two men came running towards them with guns in hand and black bags. Quickly he grabbed Jo and pressed her up against the brick wall to shield her from the gunmen when they began firing.

One bullet hit his left calf while the others got him in his shoulder and lower back. His balance buckled but he kept close to shield Jo from the flying bullets. He felt hot blood spurting from his wounds. His strength was leaving him quickly, and his ability to think straight was becoming foggy. He crumpled to the ground, further knocking the wind out of him.

From there everything began to blur as he felt the familiar clutch of death yanking at his coat tail, dragging him down under. He knew it would be over quickly, and he would emerge from the water once more, like he did many times before.

He could hear Jo calling his name, he could hear her shouting into her cellphone for the paramedics. But it wasn't long before he could only hear the faint pulse of his own heartbeat and then only feel coldness that came with loosing too much blood.

"Stay with me Henry," Jo cradled his face in her warm hands. "Help is coming."

He looked into her concerned filled eyes, and offered her a weak smile. With the last of his strength, he raised his hand and touched her face before closing his eyes and letting darkness steal him away.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Forever 

Everything happened so quickly.

The zinging bullets, and Henry falling to the ground, after serving as her human shield. Now, Jo was kneeling on the sidewalk, shivering from the cold and what she witnessed. She had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Only, moments before, she was holding Henry's face, staring into his frightened eyes, watching as he struggled to breathe. There was so much blood that she wasn't sure he would make it to the hospital.

"Stay with me Henry," she pleaded, trying to keep fear out of her voice. "Help is coming."

Henry gave her a small smile and touched her hand. It was a simple gesture, but she knew it well to know that he didn't want her to be afraid. Before should she could fully respond, he closed his eyes and grew still. She touched his neck for a pulse but to her dread didn't feel one.

Then something truly bizarre happened.

Almost as sure as she blinked Henry was gone. The space on the pavement where he lay was empty with only his scarf being left behind. She covered her mouth and frantically looked in both directions but saw no one. She glimpsed at the sidewalk once more to make sure she wasn't just suffering the effects of alcohol. Even if it was a plausible explanation, she hadn't drank no more than a glass of wine.

Her train of thought was broken when a young paramedic rushed to her side.

"Ma'am?" The woman touched her arm. "Are you hurt?"

Jo shook her head and looked down at the dark blood stains on her dress. "No. This isn't my blood." She glanced at the spot where Henry once lay bleeding. "My partner was shot."

The woman's face showed a shadow of confusion, but her voice remained professional. "Where is your partner?"

Jo knew she would sound crazy, but she didn't care. "He disappeared."

XXXX

Henry tipped on the street shivering. Luckily there was a young couple parked on the side of the road, making out. He was too chilled to the bone to roll his eyes. He banged on the window, frightening them. He tried to make himself look as harmless as possible, despite his lack of clothing. "It's been a rough night. May I use your phone?"

The younger woman rolled the window down and handed him the device. He thanked her and with shaky fingers, dialed for Abraham. After a few seconds he heard his roommate's sleepy voice on the line.

"I'm in need of your assistance," his managed to say with his teeth chattering. "I'm in my usual spot."

"I'll be right there," Abraham replied after a pause and hung up.

Henry handed over the phone and once again thanked the woman. He then assured her that he didn't need them to call the police and that his roommate was on his way.

Several minutes later, Abraham appeared, with a sleepy yet amused expression on his face. He'd grown use to their routine, and came prepared with whatever he needed. He was thoroughly grateful for his understanding and promptness. Quickly, he dressed himself and slid into the car.

"What happened this time?" Abraham placed a cup of coffee in his hand.

The night's events flashed before his eyes. The party, running away like silly adolescent and then the gunmen and lastly Jo's voice. "I was shot."

Abraham chuckled. "Let me guess, you finally ticked Jo off?"

Henry paused from sipping his coffee. He felt fear churning deep in his belly, as he thought of his partner. He'd taken several bullets for her without a second's hesitation. Even though the gunmen kept moving, he was afraid that they would return before help arrived. She wasn't defenseless, but she was unarmed.

"There were men with guns," he begun, summoning the details in his mind eye. "They were robbers most likely and I-"

"Put yourself in harm's way to keep Jo safe." Abraham solemnly finished his sentence.

Henry nodded, rubbing the side of his face. "I couldn't just stand there and let her get hurt."

"And in your selfless act of heroism, you sacrificed your life." He sighed, tapping the steering wheel. "I suppose it's safe to say that I won't be the only one who will know your deepest secret."

"Jo believes I'm dead," he said quietly. "She saw me stop breathing and die on the scene."

"And she also saw your body disappear too." Abraham added, while maneuvering through late night traffic. "Oh this is going to be interesting."

Henry nodded and focused his hands on the delicious heat. He was slowly regaining the feeling back into his fingers, and other extremities. "I have got to make sure she's alright,"

"Wow, wait a minute now," Abraham was quick to turn with a deep frown. "I'm pretty sure Jo called for help, and is probably surrounded by policemen and all that jazz. They're probably looking for your body that magically vanished as we speak."

Suddenly he thought of the position that he put his beloved partner in. It was one thing to have his sanity questioned, but to put hers on the line was entirely different. Not only would her sanity would be questioned, but her credibility would be too. He cursed under his breath. "So what do you suggest I do?"

Abraham ran a hand through his hair. "For one don't make things any more complicated than they already are. You've got enough to deal with right now. Such as figuring out how you're going to tell Jo your secret without looking like you have really lost your marbles." He turned his attention fully to road before adding."Or you could take the easy way out and get out of town."

"Jo deserves better than that." Henry declared quietly. "I can't just leave."

His old friend huffed. "Then you have to tell her the truth."

XXXX

Jo shoved the door open and plodded in her apartment with her heels in hand. She was weary and her head was pounding. The odd sensation of itchiness was evident as she peeled off her clothing and stepped under the hot spray of her shower. She pressed her head against the cool tiles, and focused on the hot water drumming against her skin. It helped ease some of the tension she was feeling, and helped collect her scattered thoughts.

Tonight, she witnessed the impossible. There wasn't any other way to describe what she saw happen. As a Detective, she heard and witnessed her fair share of weird things. But never had she before seen someone just disappear. She didn't believe much into the world of the supernatural. There had to be a logical explanation.

She shuttered as her mind replayed sounds of the gun shots and pain filled noises Henry made. Her back was tender from being roughly pressed against the bricks. Despite this discomfort, she knew that it could have been worse. She could have been the one who was lying and bleeding to death.

"Henry," she whispered aloud, thinking of how he collapsed on the sidewalk, gasping for air. He hadn't tried to speak. It was as if he had already accepted his fate, and wasn't going to argue with it.

She'd run after him when he abruptly left the party. The expression he wore spoke volumes but she still wanted him to put into words why he was more off beat than usual. It wasn't like him to wear his feelings on his sleeve.

Then again, she wasn't comfortable with compliments. Yes, she got plenty on a daily basis, often times they were inspired by lust from murder suspects and men at the bar, who wanted nothing more than a one night stand. It was different coming from Henry. He was a gentleman who was genuine in everything that he did. There was never an ulterior motive when he was concerned.

Henry was complex, but that was what she found most appealing about him. Even at the party when they were having their little moment, she felt more comfortable with him than she did surrounded by all of her co-workers. He held a sense of familiarity that was currently unexplainable, but warmed her nevertheless.

The water was growing cold, moving her to finish her shower. In her bedroom, she shimmed into a pair of sweats and pulled on a T-shirt before curling into bed. She wasn't sleepy, but was exhausted from the long week and even longer night.

Jo closed her eyes and released a shaky breath. There was an uneasy feeling that was looming over her head. She felt like she was being watched by a pair of unseen eyes. Maybe it was her imagination getting the best of her, but she still moved to investigate. She pulled a spare gun from the drawer of her nightstand and began checking each room of her apartment.

As she was standing in the middle of her living room, her phone buzzed to life. Finding that it was still tucked away in her clutch, she snatched it out to see an unknown number on across the screen. Answering it, she held it to her ear and waited.

There was only heavy breathing.

"Hello?" She said, frowning when she heard nothing more than the same heavy breathing and rustling in the back ground. She went to hung up, but paused when a voice began talking.

"You shouldn't worry about Henry," the voice said, sending a chill down her spine. "You're much too beautiful for frown lines."

"Who the hell is this?" Jo demanded, moving to peer out the window.

The voice ignored her question. "You shouldn't believe everything you're told."

Her curiosity spiked. "And why is that?"

"Because people are liars," the voice hissed in her ear.

"Tell me something that I don't know," she scoffed.

"Henry has a secret." The voice hissed.

The line went dead.

Jo laid the gun on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. She wanted to ignore the blossoming curiosity, but was failing. Even if Henry was alive, what did matter that he had a secret? Didn't they all have secrets they rather not share?

_Unless..._

She didn't know why she was entertaining the idea, but she changed from her pajamas, grabbed her phone and keys before racing out of the door. It wasn't until she was parking in front of Henry's antique shop that she realized what she was doing. Was she in that much denial of Henry's death? That she would knock on his door in the wee hours?

Instead of answering the questions, she marched up to the door and rapped on it. As she was waiting, she could feel the uneasy feeling of being watching come over her again. Swallowing hard, she knocked again until she heard muffled footsteps.

There was a loud clicking before the door opened to reveal her very much alive partner.

"Henry?" Disbelief was evident in her tone. To make sure she wasn't dreaming she reached forward and touched his face. He was really alive. "But how?"

"It's complicated," he sighed, stepping aside to allow her passage. "But if you don't mind coming in, I will try and explain."

Jo glanced over her shoulder before stepping inside the shop. Once the door was secure, she followed Henry to a stairwell that led down to what she assumed was his home office and lab. She was not in the least bit surprised, given the man she was dealing with.

Plopping down in the nearest chair, she crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

Henry sat on the nearby stool. "You may not believe me," he clasped his hands together in his lap. "You might even call me crazy."

She snorted. "All I want is the truth. Nothing more and nothing less and please no lecturing."

"I'm Immortal." He confessed quietly.

"Really now?" She tried not to sound skeptical. "So you can't die?"

He shook his head.

"So you're some supernatural human that has ability to cheat death?" Jo crossed her arms.

"As silly as it sounds yes," he nodded slowly. "I assure you that I am not joking."

She remained quiet as she muzzled over this new found knowledge. She didn't want to believe it, but it did make sense. Not only for what happened that night, but for previous happenings as well. It would explain his vast knowledge on things in life and why he acted the way he did.

"I want to see proof," she said suddenly.

He frowned. "What?"

Jo uncrossed her arms and stood up. "Take off your shirt."

Without a further hesitation, he peeled off his shirt, revealing his naked chest for her examination. She came closer, and touched the chewed up flesh and then slid her fingers to his left shoulder. She then gestured for him to turn his back to her so could inspect the skin there also. To her amazement there was no signs of him ever getting shot.

"Do you need me to remove my trousers?" he asked, breaking her trance. "I did get shot in the leg also."

"No," she answered, handing him back his shirt. "That won't be necessary."

After he putting on his shirt, he faced her with the same shadowed expression he wore at the party. "Are you convinced?"

For some reason she didn't want to admit it just yet. "When did you figure out that your immortal?"

He smiled sheepishly. "You might want to sit down. It's a long story." 

A/N: Special Thank You to everyone who has favored, followed and reviewed this story. I am so glad that you all are enjoying this story thus far.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Forever.

Henry felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest when he finished telling the relevant details of his "condition". To his surprise, Jo hadn't been bored, but deeply interested in what he had to say. He was expecting for her to be slouched in the chair with her hands clasped and a skeptic brow raised. Instead, she remained quiet, and only widened her eyes when something he told her was more on the gruesome side.

"Now you know the true reason for my reclusive ways," Henry remarked, sipping from his cup of tea.

Jo smiled into her own cup. "So can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"You said that Abraham is like family," she started slowly. "What kind of family?"

Henry regarded her for a moment, remembering the rushed explanation from dinner all those nights ago. "He is my son,"

Her jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Really." He smiled.

Jo fell silent as she inwardly digested all that he told her. He could tell that she was trying to ignore the obvious irregularities of his condition. Even though he was confident that she believed him, a small part of him was fearful that she would run into the streets and declare his insanity to all who would listen.

"So if you hadn't gotten shot you would have never told me?" Jo replied touching his forearm.

"Would you have believed me?" He huffed.

"No," she whispered. "I would have called you a nut case."

"Or just the weirdest, creepiest, most unusual person you have ever met," he chuckled when her brows dropped.

"I am sorry for saying that," she said sincerely. "It was rude of me."

Henry waved his hand. "It's alright you were being honest."

"I have another question." Jo pursed her lips while tracing the curve of her tea cup. She continued when he raised his brow. "Why did you leave the party?"

He hadn't gave the party anymore thought in the last few hours. "I was embarrassed."

"Embarrassed why?"

Instantly the image of her being clad in the form fitting dress flashed before his eyes, causing heat to flourish deep in his stomach. The next to come forward was the feeling of her fingers on his skin. He'd stop breathing when she traced a bit of his scar. Somehow he resisted a groan when she touched the skin above the waist band of his bottoms. Her touches weren't meant to ignite desire, but to satisfy curiosity. She was oblivious to the silent torture she was inflicting on him.

"I was being forward," he admitted finally. "And I know you don't like that."

"But that doesn't explain why you were acting weird," she tapped her finger on the table.

Henry opened his mouth to respond but shut it again. He wasn't sure he wanted to share his growing attraction for her just yet. He cherished their friendship dearly, and would hate to it spoil because he was developing a crush on her. "I wasn't as you put it, 'feeling' the party anymore."

Jo knew he wasn't telling the truth but didn't call him on it. Instead she turned over her phone and gasped. "Oh wow, it's almost 6am."

"How does homemade French toast with eggs and bacon sound?" He went to the refrigerator, taking out the necessary supplies. He was more than ready to move on from the awkward topic of his embarrassment.

"Sounds delicious."

XXXX

Monday morning arrived with its usual load of drowsy business and a new case. Jo passed through the busy Medical Examiner's office with the intent of finding Henry working on their newest victim and hopefully getting a cause of death.

She quickly found him in his usual spot, examining the dead body. Unlike every other day, she didn't have that eerily feeling she usually had when entering his domain. In her mind, she replayed fragments from their weekend conversation. It was still hard for her to digest the fact that Henry was older than he appeared and that he couldn't die. Had she been anyone else, she would have written him off as crazy and needed to have his head examined.

To be matter of fact, she was certain she needed her own head examined for believing him. She shook herself from that train of thought and focused on the present. Later she would think more on the impossible.

"Good morning Jo," Henry peered over his shoulder. "I can imagine you are anxious for my official report."

She tried not scoff at the hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Well I'm certainly not here just to visit,"

"Very well. Our victim's cause of death is a broken neck. He mostly likely didn't see it coming, as there wasn't any defensive marks on his hands."

Jo frowned as she gazed at the dead man's expressionless face. Henry's voice was downed in the background, as she was suddenly she was taken back a couple years to a fourth of July BBQ in a yard filled with people, buzzing about with cold beers. She remembered sitting contently at one of the tables with her husband Sean and his brother Shane, watching the younger children play in the pool with their parents, while older kids chased each other around with water guns. It was the last time they were all together before Sean's death. Shane had fallen off the face of the earth after his older brother died. He was one to take it the absolute hardest.

"His name is Shane," Jo closed her eyes as she felt them begin to sting. "He was Sean's younger brother."

XXXX

Henry was mindful not to say too much. Normally he was one to offer words of advice and encouragement, but in some instances he learned that silence was better. He experienced enough death in his life to know the sour feeling all too well.

He'd treated Jo to a quiet lunch at a little spot that made fresh baked bread along with freshly prepared soups. They sat in mostly silence as Jo fought the urge to cry. She hadn't said much since identifying Shane's body at the morgue. He could imagine that there was a million scenarios running through her mind as to how her brother-in-law ended up dead. He had a few scenarios of his own given where the body was found. But he would save his theories for later when there was proof.

"You know I always worried about Shane," Jo said quietly, while tearing a piece of bread away. "Especially after Sean died he became so distant. One day, I dropped by his place to check on him. I hadn't heard from him in months, and wanted to know if he was okay." She turned towards the window before continuing. "He acted so strange and wouldn't even let me in."

"You reminded him too much of his brother," he concluded, sipping from his mug.

She shook her head. "I came back a few days later and his landlord said he was gone."

"You think he was into something?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Maybe he was already set to move before I visited. Although I feel like if I had reached out to him more often, instead of letting him alone, I could have figured out what was going through his head. If he was having trouble, he could have stayed with me. I have more than enough space. Maybe if I had-"

Henry felt his heart ache at the sadness in her voice. He wanted nothing more but to embrace her, but he knew she probably wouldn't welcome it. All he could do was sit back and be there when she needed him. "There's was nothing you could have done to prevent his death."

Jo raked her fingers though her hair. "I know it's just…" she paused when her phone chimed. She read the message before sighing. "We've got another body."

XXXX

_Five Hours Later…_

Jo felt like her hands were being tied behind her back. Reece had pulled her off the case since one of the first victims was her brother-in-law. Which was something she knew was bound to happen, since she could barely keep it together with the last investigation that concerned Sean and the cases that he worked on.

The second victim who was found earlier that day was connected to Shane, which meant his part of the case also off limits. Hanson was pretty hush-hush about the connection between two the victims so much that she almost had to pry it out of him. To her dismay, the victims were the same men who shot at her and Henry over the weekend. They were identified by footage from a nearby convenience store camera a few blocks from their location that same night. She wondered how she could have missed seeing Shane's face? But she knew that there was no way possible she could have seen his face. Not only was her vision mostly blocked by Henry, but it was also too dark and the men were moving too fast.

Jo turned off the TV and padded off to bed, hoping to get some much needed rest. As she slid under the covers and switched out the lamp, her phone began to ring. Not bothering to look at the screen, she held the phone to ear waited.

There was only heavy breathing.

"Hello?" She said, annoyed that no one was saying anything. Unlike before when waiting for a response, she quickly hung up and tossed her phone on the night stand. She was tempted to turn it off but decided against it in case she was called in. Turning over, she pulled the comforter over her head and closed her eyes.

Mere minutes passed by before her phone rang again. She ignored it and allowed it to keep ringing until it went to voicemail. She figured if was important enough, whomever was calling would leave a message and if they were dying they would call the police.

After the phone chimed for the fifth time, she snatched the phone and held it to her ear. "Listen, whoever is calling either say something or leave me the hell alone!"

"So angry," the voice taunted smoothly. "I can imagine your beautiful eyes are set ablaze."

"Who is this?" She shouted in the phone.

The Line went dead.

Not caring that she might get chewed out for possibly missing an important call, she turned her phone on airplane mode and placed it back on the night stand. She was so wound up that she was breathing hard and had broken out in a light sweat. Swallowing hard she closed her eyes once in an attempt to calm down. She balled her fists.

Tomorrow she would have her number changed.


End file.
